Chapter V · Charging and payment of the tax · Section I · Deductions

Article 20 Exercise of the right of deduction

Artigo 20.º · Exercício do direito à dedução

Regime do IVA nas Transações Intracomunitárias · annexed to Decree-Law No. 290/92 · consolidated text checked 26 October 2026

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1. The right to deduct the tax due on intra-Community acquisitions of goods arises at the time when that tax becomes chargeable, as laid down in Article 13.

1 - O direito à dedução do imposto devido pelas aquisições intracomunitárias de bens nasce no momento em que o mesmo se torne exigível, de acordo com o estabelecido no artigo 13.º

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2. The deduction may be made in the return for the period in which the chargeable tax is entered in favour of the State, even if the vendor has not issued the corresponding invoice.

2 - A dedução pode ser efectuada na declaração do período em que o imposto exigível seja considerado a favor do Estado, ainda que não tenha sido emitida a respectiva factura pelo vendedor.

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3. In the case of supplies of new means of transport to other Member States made by a taxable person referred to in Article 2(1)(b) or (c) or by a private individual, the right to deduct the tax incurred on the acquisition of the means of transport arises only at the time when it is made available to the acquirer.

3 - Nas transmissões de meios de transporte novos para outros Estados membros, efectuadas por um sujeito passivo dos referidos nas alíneas b) e c) do n.º 1 do artigo 2.º ou por um particular, o direito à dedução do imposto suportado na respectiva aquisição nasce apenas no momento em que o meio de transporte for colocado à disposição do adquirente.

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4. The deduction referred to in the preceding paragraph may not exceed the amount of tax that would be due and chargeable under Article 7(1)(a) of the VAT Code if the supply were not exempt.

4 - A dedução a que se refere o número anterior não pode exceder o montante do imposto que seria devido e exigível, nos termos da alínea a) do n.º 1 do artigo 7.º do Código do IVA, se a transmissão não estivesse isenta.

What we checked in this article

The right of deduction arises when VAT becomes chargeable under Article 13 and may be exercised without the seller’s invoice; for occasional supplies of new means of transport it arises only when the vehicle is made available and is capped at the VAT that would have been due under Article 7(1)(a) of the VAT Code.

Selling to EU customers? Article 20 may decide whether you charge VAT.

We register Portuguese companies for intra-EU trade, check VIES numbers and transport evidence for exempt supplies, file recapitulative statements and set up OSS for distance sales, in English. A written answer and a fixed quote within one working day.

Unofficial English translation prepared by BCA Portugal for reference. Only the Portuguese text published in the Diário da República has legal force. Editorial notes are ours and are not part of the statute.

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